Charlie Wurz on Trident 2025 switch: ‘Signing with them is the final box ticked off’

10 October 2024

He was the first driver to be confirmed for the 2025 FIA Formula 3 season and Charlie Wurz is feeling very positive about the move to Trident for next year.

The Austrian driver completed his rookie season in 2024 with Jenzer Motorsport and enjoyed several strong drives as he got to grips with the Championship but feels his move to Trident is the final piece of the puzzle as he eyes a title charge next year.

“I’m super happy about joining such a great team. Trident have won the last two Drivers’ Championships and I’ll be able to learn from them in these winter tests.

“The plan was always to do two years in Formula 3, and to have 2024 as a learning year – we ticked all the boxes in terms of learning the tracks, learning the format and the Championship, which is quite tricky.

“I would have liked to get a few more results but in the end, to be racing with Trident next year is the last box to tick off the list. Now I’m ready to go into 2025.”

Wurz’s announcement ahead of the Jerez post-season test meant he was at the team’s workshop well ahead of the trip to Spain.

He says it has been a very easy process getting to know his new team and who he will be working closely with in 2025 in pursuit of the F3 title.

The Trident driver joked that the hardest factor will be keeping his healthy diet but noted that his early signing means he can fully focus on preparations for next season over the winter break.

Wurz says he already feels at home in his new team

“In the meetings we’ve had already I’ve learned so much and that really helps me. Once we get to the track for testing and not just on the sim, all of that comes together and I think it’s just a really good combination and I’m really looking forward to putting that into practice.

“I love being in Italy. The food is great so hopefully I won’t get too fat! But the most important thing is the team is super friendly and it already feels like family already only after seeing them a couple of times.

“I feel really embedded in the team and that’s really great. Italians are always very easy to get along with and they’re very friendly, so I think I already have a great feeling within the team.”

With the rookie season under his belt, Wurz says that his expectations are much higher and that’s without taking into account Trident’s success with Gabriel Bortoleto and most recently, Leonardo Fornaroli.

The Austrian says that he has taken key learnings away from his first F3 experience and now has a better understanding on what to focus on moving forward for 2025.

“I’ve already had a learning year, so I have a bit of experience on my side. Then on top of that, the team has massive experience in this Championship, just endless knowledge. Hopefully we can work as much as possible and learn as much as possible from the team to feel properly ready to attack and for the Championship challenge come next year.

The Austrian is aiming to hit the ground running in Melbourne and is already well into 2025 preparations

“2024 wasn’t the easiest year for me to be honest. It was not the year I would’ve hoped for. The results didn’t really come our way, but I think we showed good pace and learned a great deal. You have to be on it straight away from the first push in Free Practice and the two or three laps you get in Qualifying. It’s learning the driving style that gives you that straight away.

“To have learned the tracks is very important, especially with the new car and going to Melbourne straight away. I think knowing the track will give me an advantage over some of the other drivers, so we’ve checked those boxes.”

With the first of two post-season tests in the books, Wurz says his preparations with Trident has been a top-to-bottom learning experience with different procedures and methods to learn after his campaign with Jenzer Motorsport.

Wurz finished up with the seventh-fastest time overall across both days in Jerez but says he’s more focused on ensuring he has all of his personal targets ticked off before arriving in Melbourne for Round 1 in the new year.

“Preparing for the tests has been a bit different. It’s different in terms of you’re getting all the extra information in terms of procedures and everything like that. It’s a lot more information to take in and learn. I’m writing everything down in my notebook and ready to go in all areas.

“I’ve been training already for a few weeks doing training camps and all of that. So, it’s nice to have everything set already and to be focused on the start of the season quite a long way before it starts.

“Now I can really work on myself, improve on my weaknesses from last year and be a better driver when I get to Melbourne next year.”